Spy stories aren’t usually my thing. I’ll even admit that I wasn’t really hooked when I started reading this book. Everything changed around chapter four, and I was suddenly transported into this world of young women fighting against the oppression of women, and the dangers that accompany the young women in this world. Not only that, but I got to see relationships with women that were beneficial, rather than toxic to each other, forming strong bonds of sisterhood and friendship. The story was thrilling, and will keep you on your toes until the very end, and I quite enjoyed getting to read it. There are some stronger themes in this book, so I might approach with caution if you’re uncomfortable reading about death and violence (especially against women), and human trafficking. Although I did notice that the ages in this book are not really in the teens anymore, so that might also be something to consider.
In The Athena Protocol, we meet Jessie Archer, a member of the aforementioned agency, who enact their own version of vigilante justice around the world. The Athena operatives never shoot anyone to kill, therefore, when Jessie is a little too trigger happy, she’s kicked out of the agency, just before a big operation to take down a human trafficking operation in Belgrade. In order to right her wrong and prove herself to the agency, she goes rogue, with no one watching her back as she uncovers horrors worse than she’d originally thought. With her old teammates hunting her down, and the clock running out on catching the criminals, Jessie will face danger from all sides if she’s going to complete the mission, and survive.
As I said in the beginning, I didn’t really start getting into the book until around chapter four and I think it’s because there isn’t enough background at the start of the story to get me invested in these characters. Jessie is compelling for sure, but I felt that there was something off about her at the beginning. Her teammates seemed nice enough, but I couldn’t see how they connected with one another until around chapter four. Around there is where things start to get really interesting. It seems as though Jessie is living a little too much like a soldier mindlessly following orders, despite her previous actions. Once I truly got to know the personality that Jessie had, it was definitely a more interesting journey. She’s funny, and reckless, and a little wild. Most importantly, she’s angry. Unfortunately for her, that anger rages a little too uncontrollably at times, making this a little more difficult.
The plot itself moves along very quickly, and suddenly we find ourselves in Belgrade, doing some very dangerous things. There are several nail-biting moments throughout the book where you’re wondering who’s the culprit, and there’s definitely a couple of wicked twists thrown in there. I love the little details that are worked in about the mission that Jessie is on, and just how she’s doing what she’s doing. And of course, I can’t forget about the romance(s) going on in the book.
We’ve got some serious slow burn romances going on in The Athena Protocol. Like glacial movement slow (although with global warming, it might not be the best analogy anymore), which honestly made me a little mad. This was the story where I wanted to see a little more where these relationships went, especially Jessie’s. I can’t go much further than that without spoiling some of the story, so I’ll stop there.
This story is definitely about the bonds of sisterhood, and the relationships between women, and I really enjoyed how this was explored in the book. It transcends age, cultures, and stereotypes. These are women that are supposed to have each other’s backs because as we’ve seen in the synopsis, their type of work isn’t necessarily legal. The betrayals between these women definitely hurt, but seeing them lift each other up is so much more satisfying. The ending for me was something that I would love to see in more novels.
Despite its slow start, I think The Athena Protocol is a worthy read. I rate it a 7/10 stars, and encourage you to pick it up if you like fast paced spy stories. It’s an exhilarating read with some very complex characters, and you’ll want to stay because of how the girls treat each other in this story. Men are definitely not the ones doing any damsel rescuing in this one.
The Athena Protocol is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of October 8th 2019.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol, an elite organization of female spies who enact vigilante justice around the world.
Athena operatives are never supposed to shoot to kill—so when Jessie can’t stop herself from pulling the trigger, she gets kicked out of the organization, right before a huge mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade.
Jessie needs to right her wrong and prove herself, so she starts her own investigation into the trafficking. But going rogue means she has no one to watch her back as she delves into the horrors she uncovers. Meanwhile, her former teammates have been ordered to bring her down. Jessie must face danger from all sides if she’s to complete her mission—and survive.
